Thursday’s Mini-Magic Word

Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: “From Nov. 26 through Jan. 14, O’Quinn didn’t play at all in nine separate Magic games. And when he did play in other games, he usually played sparingly. But everything changed when starting center Nik Vucevic suffered a concussion in early January. Vucevic’s absence gave O’Quinn a chance to play, and O’Quinn made the most of that chance. He played so well that coach Jacque Vaughn continued to give him regular playing time once Vucevic returned from his injury. Since Jan. 15, O’Quinn has averaged 19.8 minutes, 7.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.”

Kyle O’Quinn isn’t the only Magic player that’s been playing well lately. So has Maurice Harkless, who has been putting up some impressive numbers in his last five games.

One NBA writer doesn’t agree with Orlando honoring Dwight Howard with a video tribute when the Houston Rockets played the Magic at Amway Center.

Evan Dunlap of Orlando Pinstriped Post details the reaction that Magic fans gave when Howard’s video tribute was shown on the JumboTron: “Fans booed at the start of the tribute video and at its conclusion as public address announcer Paul Porter said Howard’s name, but did not sustain the boos for the duration of the video. Overall, one could fairly assess the reception Howard receive as negative, but not overwhelmingly so.”

Chandler Parsons, a Magic fan when he was growing up and a teammate of Howard’s on the Rockets, said he would have booed Howard on Wednesday.